10 Red Flags To Look For When Hiring An SEO Agency

If you are new to SEO, you might be wondering what is black-hat SEO. Just remember that black hat SEO is a no-go street, and we are supposed to aim for White hat SEO techniques to stay in the good books of search engines and users.

As a digital marketing expert working at Emerging Software, I will explain both black hat and white SEO in later sections. First, let me tell you about the red flags you need to spot when hiring an SEO professional. I know about these red flags from my years of experience working in the SEO industry and from my clientele.

#1. The Agency Doesn’t Have Reviews

There are good reviews, there are bad reviews, and then there are no reviews. If an agency is experienced, it will have reviews on Google My Business, freelance platforms (UpWork, Fiver), Trustpilot, Clutch, and social media. To gain the trust of their potential client and to maintain their credibility, agencies ask for reviews from their ongoing clients. 

If they have good reviews, look for pattern consistency. For example, if they have 10-20 good reviews in a single month, then this is a red flag because no agency would get this many reviews in a month. SEO is a long-term process!

If they have more than one bad review, that’s a straightaway red flag. There’s no need to look for patterns also if they don’t have any reviews at all, RED FLAG! This means they are inexperienced. 

#2. The Agency Guarantees Overnight Top Rankings

This is a very common tactic used by agencies to catch the fish. They promise massive traffic and top ranking to trap you. We all know that SEO is a long-term and slow process, and organic results take time to start making a mark.

An authentic SEO agency would have a proper strategy discussed with you and update you on each step of the progress but they won’t promise you overnight results overnight. They will give you a clear picture of what they can achieve in a given span. If white hat SEO is applied properly, it will take roughly three to six months to show sustainable results. 

For example, in 2021, I came across a client who came to us after working with an agency that promised them a top 10 Google ranking for their 20 product pages within a month. The client initially saw an influx of traffic but eventually saw their pages getting deranged. The so-called agency was using black-hat tactics, such as creating low-quality backlinks and link framing, which resulted in a Google penalty.

Their website was de-indexed, and they lost organic traffic, even the amount of traffic they had before this red flag SEo agency took over.

#3. The Agency Would Ignore Your Goals

You are getting SEO services, and what if the agency never bothers to ask what you want to target with SEO? This is what inexperienced SEO agencies do they lack interest in your business goals, industry, and target audience. They are so focused on being the imposter they ignore the basics of getting started with an SEO project, i.e., research. 

They simply quote you with the generic SEO plan and package and grab your attention with discounts, offers, and unrealistic traffic. A credible SEO agency will thoroughly research your business sector, target audience, website structure, and the goals you want to achieve with SEO. 

With this assessment, they will tell you about the loopholes and give a strategic plan on how they can fix them within a customized package. 

#4. They Confuse You With The Technicalities

They all know you are not an expert in SEO, and that’s why you are hiring them. Just to intimidate you or get an upper hand over you, they will mention the technicalities of SEO. Yes, I do agree that technical SEO is important, but it is not all about technicalities. There is on-page and off-page SEO as well. Google and other search engines prioritize user experience as much as they prioritize content helpfulness and brand authority. 

We worked for a small ecommerce store that spent an entire year improving its online visibility and engaged in technical jargon and data analysis. The agency they were working with kept this client confused with technical SEO, link building, and analytics. Meanwhile, the business was giving her low-quality backlinks, how the website can load in seconds, and irrelevant web traffic. 

This number did no good for their business. However, they needed increased sales that would come from the right keyword targeting and helpful content with Google ads. As soon as they start throwing technical jargon your way, ask them about the conversion, bounce, and engagement rate. 

#5. Look For Signs Of Black Hat SEO

We all want quick results, to land in top rankings, and to be the consumer’s first choice. But if you want to build a brand, you need to be patient because it takes time, effort, and consistency to see sustainable results. Black hat SEO might give you quick results, but these techniques won’t give you long-term growth and even get your website penalized. 

Do you know what Google does to a website that uses black hat techniques? It’s a straight de-indexing or a ban on search engines. No business would wish that for their website. Black hat SEO tactics that you can spot include keyword stuffing, link schemes, hidden text, etc. 

Just imagine you have spent a good amount of time and effort on SEO, and still, your organic traffic has plummeted. Besides, the recovery process takes more time and effort to regain that search engine visibility. 

#6. No Regular Communication And Updates

SEO is not a done-and-dusted approach. Each day, your agency is supposed to update something on your website to signal the search engines that you have what the users are looking for. When they perform these updates, they are supposed to inform you. For example, if they are publishing new content on your website, they are supposed to show it to you first before publishing. 

An agency that is experienced and legit would maintain open and consistent communication with you. I always update my clients on what I am doing and the rationale behind it so that the client stay in the loop. This also benefits us as SEOs in that our clients would know how SEO works step by step, and they won’t unrealistically ask me for 10k web traffic at the end of the month. 

Besides, staying connected with the clients will also help us address any issues or misunderstandings that may come our way. It is frustrating for business owners, if they want to make a decision to stock their inventory, how would they know what products are getting enough clicks if their SEO consultant is not in touch? 

#7. SEO Agency Is Insistent On Low-Quality Backlinks

Google’s stance: a single high-quality backlink is better than ten low-quality backlinks. As we said earlier, there are thousands of SEO service providers in the market. Not every one of them is worth your time and effort. One of the red flags to choosing your SEO service provider is that they shouldn’t be promoting low-quality backlinks. If they “It doesn’t matter if the link is from a low domain authority website,” this is your cue to run. 

Low quality, whether it is content or backlinks, is a major RED FLAG that you need to avoid to build your website’s authority. Your agency should get you backlinks from relevant and high DA websites. It doesn’t matter if you get less number of backlinks, ensure that these are of high quality. 

Low-quality backlinks are usually from spammy websites, so avoid that at all costs. The reason why I am emphasizing quality over quantity is that Google’s algorithms spot and penalize websites that engage in manipulative link-building tactics.

A client from the construction sector in the Middle East hired an SEO agency for link building. The agency got him around 30 backlinks in a month. At first, this client was very happy with the work, but with the given number of backlinks, he was not getting any concrete results in traffic or reach. 

He got a free SEO assessment from us, and we told them how these backlinks are irrelevant to his business and are obtained through automated methods or purchased from link farms. These backlinks have got him deranked by Google.

I suggested to get real value, we focus on quality over quantity. We targeted the content gaps with competitor link analysis and secured some high-authority backlinks that made a huge difference. 

#8. SEO Agency Is Insistent On Long Term Contract

I would never insist that my clients have a long-term contract with me without seeing my work. Although long-term contracts have stability and predictability, for new businesses, this can be burdensome because some agencies demand hefty cancellation fees on the contract withdrawal.

In this kind of situation, some contracts lack flexibility for adjusting the scope or budget based on campaign performance. This can get new businesses stuck paying either cancellation fees or the monthly SEO plan charges without getting results. These kinds of agencies lack the expertise to deliver the desired results, so they trap the businesses with contracts. 

#9. Zero Transparency In Updating And Reporting

This point somewhat relates to the lack of communication, but it is more about you not being aware of what your SEO professional is actually doing for your business’s online visibility. This red flag includes that the agency has proposed a very unclear pricing model that might have hidden charges. 

The agency might even refuse to share detailed reports as reports show actual progress, and if the agency does not have the expertise, they won’t bring you numbers. They might even avoid regularly updating you with campaign progress. 

#10. All They Do Is Getting Backlinks

You might be wondering if getting backlinks for your business is good, but SEO is not limited to backlinks. There are plenty of other factors that help in improving your search engine rankings. For example, important SEO factors also include high-quality content creation, optimizing website user experience (UX), and addressing technical SEO issues. 

This agency will be a red flag if it is solely fixated on acquiring backlinks. You are not hiring just for link building ;you are hiring for SEO as a whole. 

Black Hat SEO Vs. White Hat SEO

White Hat SEO focuses on ethical and sustainable practices that align with Google’s guidelines. This includes creating high-quality content, building valuable backlinks, and optimizing your website for both users and search engines. For example, you have to prioritize creating valuable, informative content that resonates with your target audience. We believe in building genuine relationships and earning natural backlinks through high-quality content and outreach.

Black Hat SEO involves using deceptive or manipulative techniques to improve search engine rankings. These tactics often violate Google’s guidelines and can result in penalties, including de-indexing your website from search results.

For example, we’ve seen clients come to us after working with agencies that used black-hat tactics, resulting in significant drops in organic traffic and even Google penalties. It’s crucial to avoid these shortcuts.

Conclusion

If you really want to improve your search engine ranking, you need a reliable and experienced SEO agency. With the help of these red flags you will be able to avoid any scams and spend your SEO budget wisely. To partner with a reliable SEO agency, consider Emerging Software x Emerging Digital Agency, as we have been helping businesses for more than a decade. 

We are experts in all things SEO, including but not limited to white-hat SEO, content marketing, and local SEO. With our experience and expertise, we are committed to offering measurable SEO results.